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Warriors hit 21 3-pointers to beat Mavs for their 65th win

The Golden State Warriors are on pace to beat the 72-win mark of the Chicago Bulls.

The Splash Brothers made sure they stay on track to beating the record of Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Bulls leading the Warriors past the Dallas Mavericks, 128-120. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scored 40 and 33 points, respectively, giving the Warriors their 65th win against an undermanned Mavericks.

The league-leading Golden State hit a record 21 3-pointers giving them a record 938 points, beating the 933 set by Houston last season. The win jacks up the Warriors’ record to 65-7. Last season, the team had 67 wins. Draymond Green added 19 points as Golden State won their 52nd straight regular season home game.

Despite the win, Coach Steve Kerr could not hide his disappointment with the team’s defense. “Our defense was horrific. Dallas exposed us and they ran great stuff and they made shots and deserve all the credit in the world.” Kerr said via Yahoo Sports.

Wesley Matthews top scored for Dallas with 26 points and JJ Barea scored 21 points. David Lee added 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in his first game back in Oakland since winning his first championship with Golden State last season.

“We’ve shown that we can compete with everybody in the league. The important thing is getting there” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. The Mavericks were without Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, and Chandler Parsons.

The Warriors opened with an 18-point lead in the third quarter but Dallas trimmed it down to just a single digit early in the fourth three times. Thompson responded with three-pointers to restore the double-digit lead.

“That’s how they beat people, they’re similar to the Spurs,” Lee said. “A lot of teams are in the game at some point but they make plays at the end and they find a way to win a lot of these closer games.”

Dallas fell into a tie for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with Utah.